Tenducci, Giusto Ferdinando
Tenducci, Giusto Ferdinando
Tenducci, Giusto Ferdinando, celebrated Italian castrato soprano, nicknamed “Triorchis” (triple-testicled); b. Siena, c. 1735; d. Genoa, Jan. 25, 1790. He made appearances in Venice and Naples before going to London in 1758, where he sang at the King’s Theatre until 1760; after a stay in a debtor’s prison, he resumed his career and secured a notable success as Arbaces in the premiere of Arne’s Artaxerxes in 1762; was again active at the King’s Theatre (1763-66). He then went to Ireland, where he contracted a marriage with his 16-year-old pupil Dora Maunsell in Cork; outraged members of her family had him jailed and his new bride spirited away; shortly afterward, however, the 2 were reunited and allegedly produced 2 children. After a sojourn in Edinburgh, he returned to England in 1770 and sang at the Worcester Three Choirs Festival; then was a featured artist in the Bach-Abel Concerts in London. By 1778 he was in Paris; sang again in London in 1785. He adapted 4 operas for the Dublin stage, and also wrote English, French, and Italian songs. His wife is reputed to have been the author of the book A True Genuine Narrative of Mr and Mrs Tenducci (1768).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire